Griselda Blanco rose to the top of the world of drugs because she was the baddest of the bad. She was a drug lord for the Medellín Cartel, and a pioneer in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld during the 1970s and early 1980s. US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Bob Palombo said of her “I don’t think the fact that she was a female trying to prove something had anything to do with her violent behavior; I just think it was inherent to Griselda Blanco. This goes back to her life, the way she was brought up. She was just a violent person.” Her upbringing was violent, neglectful and depraved. This became her future kingdom. Her philosophy about death was “if you’re going to be a killer be the best.” She was. Watch Griselda Blanco

Blanco was born on 15 February 1943on the north coast of Colombia, and moved to Medellín when she was three years old. Griselda, at age 11, kidnapped, tried to ransom and eventually shot a child from the upscale neighborhood near her hillside slum. By her preteens, she was a pickpocket and at the age of 14 she ran away from her physically abusive mother and resorted to prostitution. She met Carlos Trujillo, a hustler who imported illegals into the States. They married but by the late 1960s, Blanco divorced Trujillo then killed him over a business dispute (you live by the sword, you die by the sword). Soon after, she met and married another hustler, Alberto Bravo. In the mid-1970s, Blanco and Alberto emigrated to the States and established a cocaine business. Griselda was involved in much of the drug-related violence known as the Cocaine Cowboy Wars that plagued Miami in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Her network brought in US$80 million per month. She masterminded 200 murders. If you purchased drugs from Blanco and failed to pay her back promptly, Blanco would kill you. If she bought drugs from you and didn’t feel like paying, she would kill you. On 20 February 1985she was arrested in her home. Blanco was sentenced to more than a decade in jail. By pressuring one of her lieutenants, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office obtained sufficient evidence to indict her for three murders. The case collapsed largely due to technicalities and Blanco was released from prison and deported to Colombia. Watch Cocaine Cowboys II: first 11 minutes

In 1975, when her Learjet touched down at the Bogotá airport a convoy of long black limousines whisked the 32-year-old over dusty roads toward the Colombian capital. Blanco was back in her native country to meet with Alberto. At five feet tall and weighing 165 pounds Blanco was no drug lord’s fantasy chica. Millions in profits were missing, and Blanco blamed her husband. They fired guns at each other. Blanco was struck in the stomach but recovered, her husband was not so lucky. She liked to be at war. Every day she’d say, ‘We’ve got to get so-and-so,’ ‘we’ve got to get so-and-so.’ Most dangerously, Alberto’s nephew Jaime learned she was responsible for his uncle’s murder. Watch cocaine cowboys part 2 of 2

Charles Cosby, a hustler in his late teens was awestruck by a “Cocaine Queen” who moved hundreds of kilos into the U.S. Cosby reflected, “Griselda was the connection of all connections. My eyes were on the prize.” Cosby visited her in prison. “How much money do you need,” Blanco asked, “for you and your family to be comfortable?” Cosby threw out a sum of 50 keys. A Latino woman visited his house bearing two packages of 50 kilos of cocaine the next day. Cosby became a millionaire. Watch Cocaine Cowboys II: hustlin with the godmother “I’m going to move against Kennedy,” Blanco told him. Cosby was confused. “The president’s son!” Blanco shouted. “Is that descriptive enough for you, Charles?” A plot against JFK Jr. was madness. Cosby backed away from Blanco. Unbeknownst to the Godmother prosecutors from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office subpoenaed Cosby. By 1998 the case against Blanco collapsed and by June 2004 the Godmother was released from prison and deported back to Colombia, where she is currently living a quiet life in Bogota. Watch Griselda Blanco.

**update** Griselda Blancowas shot to death by two gunmen on a motorcycle as she walked out of a butcher shop in her hometown, Medellin, on September 3, 2012. One hit-man fired two bullets into her head, executing her in the type of “motorcycle assassination” she is “credited” with inventing. She became living (dying) proof that her own motorcycle assassination “invention” is quite effective. It was last reported that she was roasting in hell, may she rest in peace.

Its sad to hear that anybody dies but she was no joke. Killing husbands, women and kids, then after she caused all of that death and destruction in the Miami and New York did she really think she would go home to Columbia and live a private good life? She should have known the way thay killed her 3 sons she would be next.

Not trying to be a jerk but the country is spelled Colombia not Columbia. That seems to be a common error with North Americans. Also, only 2 of her sons were killed. The one she named after Michael Corleone is actually still alive in Miami. Unfortunately, he seems to be on the same path as his mom. I just learned he’s facing cocaine trafficking charges.

to Jazzy her 3 sons were not killed 2 of them were her youngest michael corleone blanco is alive and well. in america he is a us citizen born and raised here .. and as for her she did bad things byut she was raised that way she never had a fair shot at life i know them and trust me she was a great person

Griselda Blanco may have been one of the most gruesome women to walk this earth. I strongly do agree she brought pain, suffering and heart ache to those who in her way. I am actually kin to her, being african american and hispanic. On my mother’s side of the family. She’d be a third cousin maybe of some sort. I respect her way of living though she had the mentality of the dog eat dog world. I’m not saying the murders she contributed or personally did were in the right. Just being a 5 foot woman and labeled “The Mother Of Cocaine.” Somewhere you have to respect how she gained the name.

This is a very disjointed comment and difficult for me to follow. First you stated you are maybe related to Blanco as a third cousin, but you don’t sound certain about that. You respect her way of living? Which part? Dealing cocaine or murdering women and children? Personally I have no respect for “how she gained the name.” I’m just glad she is dead.

Reblogged this on The Pen Hustle and commented:
Griselda Blanco was the Colombian Godmother of the Medellín Cartel. She distributed millions in cocaine and was feared in the underworld as much as any of her male counterparts. She was well respected in her younger years as a coke trader but in her later years Blanco’s past seemed to have come back to haunt her. She was eventually cut down by two masked gunman as she left a Colombian butcher shop. She was 69 years old.